Los Angeles daily herald., 1887-12-29
An American idea.

dom, as the religious world looks tt
Asia as the cradle of its faiths. AMONG
the most important germinal princi-
pies brought to light by those who
wrote the Declaration of Indepen-
dence and formulated the Constitu-
ton. foremost stands the doctrine Of
Religious Liberty. In all ages the
lack of this guiding canon oi
craftsmanship has been the
cause of more difficulties, con-
fusion and bloodshed than per
haps any other single source OF these
undesirable elements which have ap-
peared to be necessary evils. By de-
creeing the divorce between Church
and State Thomas Jefferson and his
colleagues ended definitely all such
cause of the ten thousands of dire
effects which spring from that unholy
union as did the plaques from Pan
dora's. box. The principle there
so simply formulated is one OF
those far-reaching causes whose
effects are manifold and radical, but
all the best fruit that ever grew on
the tree of human wisdom. 1t is in
its'all-permeating power like the lit
tie germ of leaven which, although so
small in itself, will 50 surely effect
every atom of mass into which it may
be introduced.
But the leavening power requires
time. When this radical and immor-
tai truth OF craftsmanship was first in
troduced into American statecraft the
mass into which it was SO injected
needed leavening almost az much as
had it been made a part OF the statute
Law OF England or France, instead OF
being made a cornerstone in the
Governmental fabric OF the new Re-
public. Americans Of that day were
mostly immigrants from those
countries ruled by the state
craft OF the Old World. Most OF
the colonists had made but
little real progress in the way OF clear
ing their minds of the prejndices they
had imbibed with every lesson they
had learned in their youth. The pres
ence OF this great principle in our or
ganic law is evidence that a few minds
had become cleared on this point.
Had the general mass seen what was
to grow out OF the few short
sentences it is safe to assume
most vigorous opposition would
have been raised. But the leaven was
not understood, and so it was al
lowed to be introduced into the mass
OF the new statecraft. The leavening
process began, and during the century
of the Republic great progress has
been made in this respect. But there
is room for great deal moe infu-
ence to be exercised in this direction.
We do not despair. Long as the time
has been and despite the fact that there
remains a large proportion OF the
mass which has heretofore been too
obdurate to yield to the force of this
living principle, yet in time all will
yield, and the entire mass OF Ameri-
can citizenship will become perfectly
homoge neous in this as in all other
elements of its composition.
The principle is simple enough. 1t
is that the home, the church and the
State, has each it's sphere of
action, and its work to do. They are
not to step beyond their bounds,
and one invade the territory of the
other. The business OF the State is
plain-to secure to each citizen 'liie,
liberty and the pursuit OF happiness. 4"
That is all politics should concern
itself with. Law makers should care
fully draw line at that. The home
is the school Of morality. The Church
, is the guardian OF religion. The State
is to insure human rights. State
craft should not NEEDLE directly
or indirectly with the church's sphere
of religion. 1t is not to invade the
home and teach morals-as such.
The spheres may touch, but they
should not overlap. The point about
law is not that it should be conso-
nant with the creed OF any church /;
nor is it that the law should be moral
1t should not be immoral-granted.
But that is not the rule by
which to judge it. Politics is
concerned with justice between
man and man. When to each man
life is made secure, liberty is pro-
tected and the pursuit OF happiness
made easy as can be, the work of the
statesman or politician is done. The
law is not warranted in an attempt to
suppress all immortality. An offense
against the law is not necessarily inn
morality. A man may break the law
and not be guilty OF immortality. He
commits a crime. And by committing
crime he may do moral act. Ly-
ing is immoral. But law to sup
press lying, simply as lying, would
be bad politics, bad statesmanship-
it would be the Act OF fool. And if
the law is not to meddle with things
as moral or immoral, still more nee
essary is it that statesmen and poll
ticians should, while exercising the
functions of such, keep all religious
creeds, dogmas, tenets, opinions
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